The availability of waterproof or water resistant fabrics for outerwear presents challenges to create seams that share the water shedding characteristics of the fabrics. Waterproof or water resistant garments are constructed using laminated waterproof fabrics, in which an outer face fabric of water repellant material and a hydrostatic barrier material inside the outer face fabric have been bonded together prior to fabrication of the garment.
The use of such laminated fabrics containing a hydrostatic barrier material poses the problem of how to join the barrier material across a seam without introducing leak pathways. Additionally, the seams provide a weak point in the garment, such that, even if the hydrostatic barrier material is capable of withstanding tens or hundreds of washings without degradation, the seams generally do not withstand more than five or so washings. Thus, the seams are a prime location for the garment to begin to degrade.
An insulating layer may also be present in a garment, and seams form leakage pathways for heat in thermally insulated garments. Perforations from quilt stitching can also provide pathways for heat loss in garments that include quilted components.